Brain games

What happens to our brain when we get older? Research suggests we can keep on improving our minds, that it's a common misconception we lose brain cells as we age. Apparently an 80 year old can be just as bright as a 20 year old, but with slower responses, so it takes them longer to retrieve stored knowledge. Sadly everything slows down as we get older, not just our memories. So whilst I'm keen to maintain my body as long as possible with the right food, and exercise, I believe I need to be doing all I can to maintain the grey matter.

 After some digging, I have determined 5 key areas that are beneficial for exercising our minds. A kind of mind gym plan of action!


1.Unpredictability: Card games, chess and all types of games involve spontaneity and unpredictability, helping train your brain to react to different outcomes.


2.Creativity: Playing games involves thinking creatively and the more fun they are the better. Try a game of Pictionary to really get those creative juices flowing.


3.Memory Testing: Word games, such as crosswords, tend to be better than number puzzles which are usually over very quickly. To increase the ‘work out’ try timing it,or completing it in your head.

 4.Co-ordination: The speed and concentration required for a game of table tennis make it a great activity for improving co-ordination and reaction time. As does baseball on the Wii, (how many times do I miss that ball!!)


 5.Relaxation: Playing any kind of game allows you to become absorbed in something other than your everyday stresses and worries. Try something completely different.

Other stuff I discovered


DO IT EVERY DAY! The more you stimulate your brain, the more neural connections are likely to be made and the more equipped you’ll be to react to what life throws at you.

USE BOTH SIDES. Your brain is divided into two. The left side is used largely for logic and analysis and the right side for ideas and imagination. Using ‘whole’ brain thinking will get you to think more creatively and effectively.

Whole brain thinking
Whole brain exercises


CHEW GUM. Really! I kept coming across this. It’s not exactly using your brain, but research has apparently shown gum can improve long and short term memory. The reasons are a little hazy, something to do with improved delivery of oxygen to the brain. My brain will have to forgo the extra oxygen I’m afraid, I hate gum.

MNEMONICS. Methods for recalling information,using images or words. A simple example is the '30 days has September’ rhyme. The basic principal is to use your brain’s best functions to store information.

Mnemonics for memory
Fun with words

KEEP IT FRESH. The wider the range of challenges and activities you take part in, the more people you meet and the more skills you learn, all helps keep the brain in top gear.

Now the obvious stuff! Note to me: Too much sugar is bad. Sugary foods cause a sharp peak in your blood sugar level, followed by a trough, leaving your brain literally fuel starved. (So that’s what happens during PMT when I eat chocolate insanely).

Too much alcohol is bad. Well we all know what that does to your brain! The less said the better. Moderation, being the key word! Well, it is a note to me!

Caffeine is bad. In the short term it is true it makes you more alert. But there is plenty of research to show it can actually make you less able to function properly.

And good old stress is bad for you. Oh really! When stressed, you release high levels of the hormone cortisol into your bloodstream which, a recent study found, can adversely affect your recall ability.

As I well know, sleep deprivation can adversely affect your mood, memory, concentration and alertness. Although oddly, for me, when I’m suffering from insomnia the right side of my brain benefits enormously. Obviously the left side is nonexistent.

Oxygen is vital to the brain, it fact it’s positively fatal to have none. But according to researchers a blast of pure oxygen can improve performance on word tests and puzzles. As I have no access to a blast tonight, I will do a 30 min work out on my air walker. That will stand me in good stead for the crossword later!

Physical exercise is the best option. It gets the heart rate going and oxygen flowing to your brain. Fresh air is better still. As well as oxygenating your brain, this feasts your senses, improving creativity and problem solving.
We have the potential to keep our brains evolving long into adulthood, but as with our bodies, if we don’t stimulate it on a regular basis, our mental abilities won’t flourish. Just like anything else in life our brain needs regular maintenance.